A Lady For a Duke: a swoonworthy historical romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material

Product Information

And Viola handles Gracewood’s disability related to his war injuries with aplomb, and the result is some of the most emotionally satisfying and frankly thrilling sex scenes I have read. She becomes lady Marleigh's (her sister in law) companion, also giving up her rights and place on the hierarchy ladder. When she encounters the Duke of Gracewood years later she’d shocked at his depression and overall hiding from life. And yes, I did feel that the story regarding Gracewood's sister and her coming out into society took more of a precedent to the actual romance of the story.

Although Viola’s insistence in her womanhood in the face of confusion or questioning is more stalwart, it has echoes of d’Eon’s insistence at being born a woman. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. It was simply this: That love—that her love for Gracewood and his love for his friend—had not died with her.He has excruciating physical pain from a leg injury sustained at Waterloo, but it’s his mental state that is the most perilous. When family insist that Viola journey to Morgancald, the homestead of the Gracewoods, to help the Duke regain his footing in life and to assist his younger sister with engaging in the next London season for debuting debutantes, Viola must muster the courage to face her oldest friend for the first time as her true self, ready for any and all consequences should he recognise who she once was.

I was really excited to read this book, I’ve never read a historical romance with a trans main character. A Lady for a Duke is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful and deeply romantic M/F historical romance, featuring a transgender heroine and the emotionally damaged Duke that owns her heart.

However, there is so much about this book to enjoy, and if you're into Jane Austen (or possibly Bridgerton), strong female leads and LGBTQIA stories, I'd say this one is for you. The story is also very mindful of how Viola is still learning how to navigate those new spaces, how she still doesn’t really know what she should wear, how she should conduct herself, what’s "polite" for a woman to say, or even how to take up "womanly" activities like arts, tea service, or being a hostess. It shows courage and dedication to overcome all obstacles and leaves you all warm and fuzzy with an ending to make you smile from ear to ear. I’m not a massive historical romance fan usually, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about that one, but since this had a trans protagonist and was by an author I love, I wanted to give it a go.

He is constantly torn between following his heart and fulfilling his legacy, exactly as his strict father would have wanted.As for this particular story, well the trademark AH humour is back in full force, I cried real tears for Gracewood's PTSD and Viola's misery, and of course this story is joining several of the author's previous works on my Creme-de-la-Creme bookshelf here on Goodreads. Viola and Gracewood's relationship has this sweetness and depth to it and I was fully rooting for them by the end of the book. She manages to be difficult and authentic and pushy while still being someone you like and whose good intentions are clear. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The writing is witty, and [the] chemistry is irresistible, but it's Hall's insights about trust and self-worth that set the story apart.

And while this particular characteristic is so perfectly portrayed and used throughout the book, it is not the main focus of it. Viola is assumed dead at Waterloo and takes the opportunity to reinvent and restart her life the way she wants to live. They were doing fresh things in this story, thank goodness, and Justin and Viola got to semi-react to those events throughout the novel. Let us borrow a phrase from Tolstoy and declare, “Historical romances are all inaccurate, but each historical romance is inaccurate in its own way .

Viola Caroll, presumed dead when she went missing during battle, takes the opportunity to free herself from the strictures of the identity assigned to her at birth and finally live as herself. Their banter, their communication, mutual respect, understanding, love - everything were absolutely breath taking. The bravery and vulnerability of these two characters—the beautifully nuanced acknowledgment that necessary choices can bring relief but also loss (but also hope, and new opportunities)—I cried so much while reading that my mask became utterly saturated and probably lost structural integrity.